Final Fantasy 7: The Musical
by darkmoonlitdreamer
Summary: Aerith has gotten accepted to Midgar Academy of Music, and is bound for adventure with her talent and skills. Unfortunately, with her cheery disposition and talent she's bound for some drama. A lot of Clerith and some Zerith and some Cloti .
1. Welcome to Midgar Academy of Music

**A/N: I'm back and better than ever with a new fanfic! To all my readers, I'm taking a hiatus from His Light due to the fact that…I'm having a hard time writing the next chapter. . BUT ANYWAY! I'm hoping you all enjoy this new fanfic of mine. I've been looking forward to writing this one for awhile so…ENJOY!**

**None of these characters are mine! They all belong to Square-Enix and the makers of Final Fantasy 7. SO HA! YOU CAN NOT SUE ME! D …Have a lovely day.**

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**Final Fantasy 7: The Musical**

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Midgar Academy of Music

"I'm expecting you home by at least five o' clock, Aerith! We have to finish painting the house."

Aerith Gainsborough turned around to face her mother, Elmra Gainsborough, who had driven her on her first day to her new school. Her mother's brown hair was wrapped up tightly in a bun and her brown eyes stared into Aerith's green ones kindly, yet with a tinge of sternness. Aerith giggled and poked her head through the window of her mother's silver Cadillac with a small grin. Rolling her eyes with fake annoyance, she said playfully, "I _know_, Mom! Geez, if you keep worrying so much you're gonna get sick again."

Elmra grunted and replied curtly, "Maybe if you weren't so reckless, I wouldn't worry so much…"

Aerith stuck out her tongue, making a mocking face at her mother, and Elmra glanced at her, only to allow a large smile cross over the creases of her face. Aerith grinned and teased, "Made you smile!"

Elmra let out a stubborn "humph", but quickly kissed her daughter on the cheek and said, "Go to class, you goofball."

Aerith pecked her mom's cheek back before she pulled her head out of the car and picked up her pink shoulder strap book bag. As she swung it over her shoulder, she gave her mother a small wave and smile as she said, "Love you, Mom! Get to work safely, okay?"

Elmra waved back and replied jokingly, "Enjoy you're first day of school and don't cause any trouble!"

Aerith laughed happily and rolled her eyes again as she started walking backwards from the car and across the street. Throwing her arms in the air, she exclaimed, "Like I _could_! It's the first day of school! What's the worse that could happen? EEP!"

The "EEP" was for the car that stopped short in the middle of the street due to the fact that it almost _hit _Aerith. The guy poked his head out of the window of his car, and shouted angrily, "HEY, WATCH IT, LADY! WHAT THE HELL'S THE MATTAH WIT YOU?!"

Aerith jumped up in surprise and started bowing to guy in the car, exclaiming, "Sorry, sorry, SORRY!"

Eventually the guy put his head back inside the car and drove around her quickly with quite the aggravated expression on his face. As he drove away, Aerith slowly turned to her mother (who, by the way, was looking at her in a horrified manner) and gave her a nervous smile as she waved slowly, and said embarrassedly, "Bye, Mom…."

Elmra gave her a small sigh and started the car as she watched Aerith cross the street, cautiously this time. When she was safely at the school building, Elmra turned her head upward and pleaded, "Please…keep her from doing anything stupid…"

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**A/N: First chapter completed! WOO! Wanna know what happens next on Aerith's first day of school? Read the next chapter to find out! See ya soon!**


	2. Welcome to Midgar Academy of Music 2

FSSA

**A/N: Well it is CHAPTER 2 TIME! Aerith gets her first real impression of the school. What can happen!?**

_**Italics **__****_ Aerith's imagination is vast, so she occasionally imagines things happening in song. Sometimes they really do! So the italics are for when Aerith is imagining a scene in her head and/or someone is singing.

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Chapter 2: Welcome to Midgar Academy of Music Part II

"Whew! Good lord, it's about time I made it across that street!"

Aerith looked behind her and pouted at the street while wrinkling her nose with distaste. She then bent over a bit and stuck her tongue out at the street filled with speeding cars because in her head sticking out your tongue at something that you didn't like meant instant victory…or something like that. With that she stood up straight again and gave a little confident smile, her pink lips parted slightly to show off her pearly white teeth. Lifting her right wrist up into view she stared at her silver watch which read 7:23 a.m. Cocking her head to the side, Aerith muttered to herself, "Hmm… Looks like I'm early."

She shrugged her shoulders and soon turned around to face the gates of the school. She looked at them nervously, biting her lower lip in anxiety and fiddling with her freshly manicured nails. Aerith shook her head and put a determined look on her face. This was no time to get cold feet! She HAD to make a good impression on her first day so she didn't look like a complete fool. With that thought in mind, Aerith decided the best thing she could do was make sure everything was in order. First thing was hair. Aerith adjusted her pink bow so it was wrapped nice and tight around the top of her long brown braid which went down to her tailbone. Next thing was clothes. Aerith then lowered her gaze to her pink, cotton tank top for anything sticking to it. When she made sure nothing was there, she moved on to her light blue jean capris to make sure that there were no smudges from bumping into anything. When she saw that there was nothing on her capris either she took the time to admire how well the pants clung to her body. Next thing was shoes. Her white sandals with giant, plastic, yellow sunflowers near the base of her toes were in perfect condition as everything else in her attire. And finally, her pink over the shoulder book bag. There was a bit of dust on this piece of her outfit, but she quickly brushed it off with her hands. NOW everything was perfect. Clapping her hands together and breathing out, Aerith put on her best smile and opened the gates of the school.

She covered her eyes with her hands, wincing at the bright sunlight that shone directly at her as she opened the gates. Blinking those beautiful emerald orbs a few times, she looked around and took in everything she saw. Her jaw dropped a little, but then she just smiled really big and said one single word. "Wowza!"

The building was huge and made of stone. It looked like a very large (and very fancy) museum rather than a school. In fact, it was so huge, Aerith found herself worrying about how lost she was going to get in it. She then brought her gaze downward and took in the rest of the scenery. A bunch of students were standing around and conversing before they entered the school building. Some of them were sitting in the garden in front of the school, eating breakfast and sipping some Starbucks coffee and/or tea. Aerith grinned to herself merrily, listening to the hustle and bustle that rang throughout the school. In a sense, the small town girl felt a little out of place amongst all these trendy, music majors, but still kept on her friendly smile. In her next breath, she walked onto the campus, absolutely beaming now. She walked with confidence and even turned a few heads as she made her way to the doors of the building. Unfortunately, she was stopped by some weird red-headed kid.

"You new around here, babe?"

Aerith looked to the side and stared at the red-headed kid who was leaning against the side of the building. His arms were folded across his chest in an aloof manner, and a cigarette dangled in his mouth. Aerith inwardly cringed as she thought about the extreme damage smoking brought upon your vocal cords. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and he had a very perverted grin on his face as he looked her up and down with those blue eyes. He wore black, baggy shorts that reached a little past his knees and a baggy t-shirt that matched the fiery color of his hair. On both of his wrists were black sweatbands and around his neck he wore a little chain with the cross on it. Aerith gulped slightly at his punk-like presence; afterall she wasn't used to all the outlandish characters in Midgar just yet due to the fact that her old school was much smaller and quieter. Even so, she tried to remain as pleasant as possible, even though he was coming off as awfully crude and tactless. She reminded herself not to judge a book by its cover and she didn't have the right to judge anyone she just met. "Um, yes, actually. I am new here. My name's Aerith Gainsborough. What about you?"

She smiled at him and he grinned back at her. "The name's Reno, babe. Nice to meet your, uh…acquaintances."

He progressed forward, and as he came closer to Aerith the more smoke she inhaled. Keeping him at arms length, she stuck out her arm in front of her as if to offer a handshake. Reno looked at her oddly, obviously very confused at her reaction, but awkwardly took her hand in his own and shook it. Aerith kept, through a lot of effort, a smile on her face and replied, "Well, it's very nice to meet you too. Now, I better get going. I gotta get my schedule from the office people around here. Thanks for the chat."

With that she let go of his hand and continued on her original direction. It was unfortunate for her that Reno was stubborn. Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he dropped it on the ground and stomped it out with the heel of his shoe and followed her inside the school. In a few steps, he appeared next to Aerith and began walking in stride with her. "You know, babe, I can be your tour guide if ya want. I know all the nooks and crannies of this school. I'm sure you can find my knowledge…worthwhile."

Reno wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Aerith merely sighed. "It's alright. I'm sure I can find it on my own, but thank you for the offer."

She began to walk faster, but Reno easily kept up with her quickening speed. Aerith just couldn't seem to lose this guy and was getting mighty irritated. Couldn't he just leave her alone? "But, babe-"

"Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough."

"_Aerith_. Listen to me. It's a big school, babe, and I'm tellin' ya, yer _bound_ to get lost."

Aerith was now on the brink of losing her temper with him, and desperately tried to not say anything in fear of snapping at him. She really wanted to make a good impression on her first day at school, but she wouldn't be able to do that if she kept getting hit on like this. "Babe, c'mon. You know you want me to guide you around."

Aerith twitched and, as calmly as she could, stopped in mid-walk and turned to face him. "For the last time, Reno, it's Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough. _Not 'babe'_!"

Reno looked slightly alarmed at Aerith's aggravated response and even looked like he was going to try and get smart with her, when a big black man with sunglasses appeared behind him. In a deep, almost monotone voice, he asked, "Is he bothering you?"

Aerith had to look up to see his face and blinked her green eyes innocently at him. His head was either shaved or he was bald at an early age. His skin was dark, but the shades of his sunglasses were darker and he almost looked like a secret agent. He wore a black working suit and looked very stern, calm, cool, and collected. In other words, the complete opposite of Reno. Aerith froze at the sight of him. "I wasn't causing shit, Rude! I was just trying to be nice to the lil' lady and then she-"

Rude cut him off. "Your version of being nice normally involves hitting on girls until they get fed up with you and smack you. Now apologize to the new girl."

Reno muttered a couple of curse words and reluctantly turned around to face Aerith. Staring into her gaze, he muttered, "Sorry, babe…"

Aerith frowned. "It's AERITH! Aerith Gainsborough."

Reno looked up at Rude, but Rude grunted in an intimidating manner, making Reno turn around again to face Aerith. "Sorry, Aerith…"

Aerith sighed and smiled. "Thank you. Um, thank you, Rude."

Rude nodded, and then grabbed Reno by the ear as if to drag him along. Reno cried out in protest, but didn't struggle too much against the larger man. Aerith began to walk away from them when Rude called out. "The office is up the hallway to your left. It's big, so you can't miss it."

Aerith turned back and nodded at Rude. "Oh, and Aerith!"

She completely turned around to face him. "Yes?"

With a small smile, he said, "Welcome to Midgar Academy."

It was at that that Aerith held her hands behind her back, and smiled and said cheerfully, "Thanks!"


	3. Welcome to Hot Guy Central

**A/N: Hello and welcome to FINAL FANTASY 7: THE MUSICAL! Time for Aerith to meet the student office assistant and, boy, is he pretty. AND SO ARE HIS FRIENDS! Who is it? Read to find out.**

**Btw, sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've been very very very busy with school seeing as how my first year of college is coming up. Not to mention I just got back from Verbier, Switzerland and was performing at the Verbier Summer Festival. I'll try to update more often and don't worry!!! The singing is coming soon!**

Chapter 3: Welcome to Hot Guy Central

Aerith quickly walked down the hallway Rude had directed her in, and let her eyes dart around to take in her surroundings. Marble floor, sturdy walls, pretty artwork hanging everywhere; "This is so my kind of place," she muttered.

Finally she spotted the office and increased her speed as she focused in on her destination. And then there she was, in front of those huge, pearly white doors, allowing herself to look like a doofus as her smile spread wider than before. Placing her delicate, pale hand on the doorknob she turned it and opened the door only to have revealed to her a giant marble counter and a young man sitting in front of her at a wooden desk behind it, working with paperwork. Aerith examined him closely; well…mostly his hair since it was the only thing she could really see. It was blonde and spiky, and looked like it belonged to the chocobos that lived back home around Icicle Inn. He looked very enveloped in his work, and she felt sort of bad that she had to interrupt him, but she shrugged it off and walked over to him. "Excuse me?"

The boy lifted his head and she suddenly found herself gazing into big, electric blue eyes. They were like two giant pieces of the sky and she could feel herself being sucked into them. Forcing herself to look away from them, she took in his other features: pale skin, beautiful lips, an angular face, lean yet slightly muscular body, his blue jeans fit him perfectly as well as his tight black shirt and black converse sneakers. Two black wristbands clung to his right and left wrists and she couldn't help but notice the single piercing in his right earlobe, and an utterly annoyed look on his face. Glaring at her, he asked coldly, "Can I help you?"

Aerith scrunched up her face in irritation. Was it her, or did EVERYONE in this school have an attitude? "Yes, you can if you don't _mind_. I'm new here and I need my schedule. I was also told I would be provided with a guide."

The blonde haired boy snorted, and pulled out a pair of black rectangular glasses. "What's your name again?"

Aerith smiled cheerfully. That was more like it! "Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough. What's yours?"

The boy flipped through some white papers. "Cloud Strife," he muttered.

"Cloud, huh? That's a nice name."

Cloud bent his head down, almost burying it in his papers. Aerith could have sworn she saw a bit of red in his cheeks. "Weirdo…"

Aerith frowned and placed her hands on her hips in a defiant manner. "And just what's so _weird _about complimenting someone for having a nice name? I was just _trying_ to make conversation."

Cloud flipped through the pages of schedules faster. "Well don't. You're being annoying."

Color rose to Aerith's cheeks. "And you're being very rude, you…TWERP!"

At that, Cloud stood up, only to reveal that he was taller than her by at least four inches. He then tore off his glasses, and shoved a white paper into her hands. "There's your schedule," he pointed to the exit, "and there's the door."

Aerith held back her rage. She swallowed her pride and held it back and instead, through obviously forced calmness, replied, "Where's my tour guide?"

Just then, the door opened and two new strangers walked in; one with black hair and the other with silver. The two of them were definitely taller than her AND Cloud and they both looked a lot friendlier. The one with the black spiky hair looked Aerith up and down with his wandering blue eyes and then went to look at Cloud, a little smirk appearing on his face. His combat boots clanked as he walked across the marble floor, as his baggy blue jeans dragged on the floor and his tight navy blue shirt clung to him. When he came closer into view, Aerith noticed the slogan on his shirt that read in big white letters, "ATTENTION LADIES, I enjoy, GREY'S ANATOMY!" She then diverted her attention back to the situation at hand, only to hear the other boy speak. "Oooooooooo! Alone in a room with another girl, Cloud? I am _so _telling Tifa."

Cloud's whole face reddened as well as Aerith's. Almost at the same time, they shouted simultaneously, "Shut UP, Zack!" "Yeah right!"

Their heads snapped back up and they looked into each other's eyes. If it was possible, both faces got redder and they turned away from one another in embarrassment. "Zack" laughed at the two of them and the silver haired boy walked over with a sense of serenity. "It's not nice to pick on new students, Zack, or your friends," the boy said as he placed a large hand on Aerith's shoulder. "I can assume that you're new, right?"

Aerith looked up almost shyly only to meet green eyes like her own, hidden behind fashionable rectangular, black-rimmed glasses. A small smile crossed over his lips and she watched his gaze travel downward from her face to her…unmentionables. He wore a gray and dark gray horizontal striped, long sleeve, crewneck sweater and black, flat front, flex-waist trousers. A pair of black loafers covered his large feet and she noticed his handsome physique that was almost hidden beneath his slightly baggy clothing. His hair was tied back in a long braid and he had a scholarly look about him. Aerith swore she could almost feel the knowledge he held within him radiating on to her. "Su-sure…"

The silver-haired boy smiled gently at her and said, "What a charming young girl you are. What grade are you in, Miss?"

"Um, I'm a junior."

Zack suddenly perked up and seemed to jump in front of her like an excited puppy. "Whoa! You're in the same grade as me! What's your major, Miss, uh, ummm…?"

Aerith smiled cheerfully. "Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough. And my majors are musical theater and classical/opera music, but my main passion is musical theater."

Now even the cold, stand-offish Cloud Strife was interested. "Musical…theater? What's your, um, voice type?"

Aerith looked almost shocked that he actually said anything half-way decent to her, but she replied politely and almost shyly. "I'm a mezzo-soprano. I probably don't look it though. A lot of people assume that I'm a soprano at first glance."

Cloud raised an eyebrow and muttered sarcastically, "Gee, I wonder why…"

Aerith glared at him, but pretended not to hear him. Instead she focused back in on the other two boys who continued to talk to her. The boy named Zack, was grinning at her in a goofy sort of way, and made the comment, "Well, Cloud may not think it's cool, but I do. I'm strictly a musical theater person myself. Sephiroth here can vouch for me, right, Sephy?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and said, "First off, I told you NOT to call me that ridiculous nickname in front of attractive girls. You can at least call me by 'Seph'. That sounds at least mildly cooler than…'Sephy'. And secondly…yes, you are the school's music theater geek."

Aerith giggled at that comment, and Zack blushed, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "Way to embarrass me, Seph…"

"You deserved it, you excitable puppy."

Aerith then piped in, "So I take it your names are Sephiroth and Zack, correct?"

Sephiroth and Zack turned to face her, and nodded in unison. Zack stood up tall and jabbed his finger into his chest, almost as if he was announcing what he said. "The name is Zack Fair. Pleasure to meet ya!"

Sephiroth calmly replied. "I'm Sephiroth. _Just_ Sephiroth. Glad to make your acquaintance."

Aerith bowed to each of them. "Ditto!"

She then turned to Sephiroth and asked, "So what's your major, Sephiroth?"

"Me? I'm mainly a classical/opera major. But I also do some musical theater since there aren't many pure Basses in the school."

"Oh, you're a bass? I can see that. I couldn't picture you as a Baritone. What about you Zack?"

"I'm a Baritone!"

"Really? I thought for sure you were a Tenor…"

"If you're looking for a Tenor, the only Tenor in this room is Cloud over there. That bastard, and his ability to make more money than us hard working Baritones…"

"No wonder he's a snob…"

Cloud started paying attention to the conversation at this point and picked up his head to frown at Aerith. "Well, sorry, but not _all _of us _shit rainbows_, Little Miss Sunshine."

Aerith's face grew red with rage, and her fists began to clench and unclench. "It's better than being an _emo kid_ who most likely _cuts himself_ at night because of some _stupid _reason like he lost his favorite eraser."

The pencil that Cloud was holding suddenly snapped in half and new color began to rise to his face. That's when Sephiroth and Zack jumped in on the fight. "Zack, why don't you take Aerith for a tour around the school? I have to talk to Cloud about something."

"Sounds like a plan. C'mon Aerith. I'll show you a good time."

Zack then literally dragged Aerith out of the office as Sephiroth turned to face Cloud. Once Aerith and Zack left the room, Sephiroth said bluntly, "Would it kill you to be at least _halfway _decent?"


	4. Welcome to Musical Theater

**A/N: A click. A spark. A love interest. A first class. Aerith and Zack seem to be hitting it off and Aerith seems to be doing great in her first class of the day: Musical Theater! But things go awry when the teacher makes an unexpected announcement about Aerith. What will happen and how will it affect everyone's out look on her? Read to find out.**

_**Italics **_ Aerith's imagination is vast, so she occasionally imagines things happening in song. Sometimes they really do! So the italics are for when Aerith is imagining a scene in her head and/or someone is singing. The song Aerith sings in this chapter is called "The Wizard and I" from _Wicked. _I cut out Madame Morrible's opening part. If you would like to hear the music, you can find it all on Youtube.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING (aka: Final Fantasy 7 or the music here.)

Chapter 4: Welcome to Musical Theater

"And that's basically it! The school is big, but once you get the hang of things you'll be navigating your way around here with no problem. Until then, use the maps that around the school if you need help."

Zack smiled cheerfully at Aerith who felt like her legs were going to fall off. Zack had just taken her on a tour around the whole school in a matter of twenty minutes. That took talent since the whole building was a behemoth of a school. Aerith sighed and bent over clutching her knees and looked up at him with an exasperated expression. Gasping for breath, she asked in huffs, "H-Has anyone....ever...told you...you have the....energy of an excited puppy?"

Zack laughed outright at her comment and responded, "Yeah. Seph tells me that all the time. I can never sit still. There's too much to do and too much to explore! That, and I have a pretty bad case of ADHD."

Aerith giggled at that and finally stood up straight. She looked into his pretty blue eyes and smiled gently. "You know...you're the only person who has been exceedingly nice to me since I got here."

Zack blushed and scratched the back of his head. "It's probably because I was once you a long time ago."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yup! I'm from Gongaga originally. Cloud and his girlfriend, Tifa, are from Nibelheim. The only person out of the people I hang out with that was born and raised in Midgar is Sephiroth, to be honest."

Aerith's eyes widened in surprise. "Woah, woah, woah. Stop and rewind. Cloud has a girlfriend?!"

Zack laughed. "Yeah. Her name is Tifa. Why? You jealous?"

Aerith scoffed and looked at him like he had three heads. "Pfft... Yeah right. I'm just interested in the fact that any woman would have the patience to deal with someone with such a terrible attitude."

"He's not that bad. Cloud just isn't very social and doesn't know how to react to friendly people like you. He was like that with me too when I first met him here."

Zack had a small frown on his face, but anger was not in his eyes. Rather...it was if he was trying to make her understand. Aerith felt like a small child being scolded, but saw his point. Aerith knew she had a tendency to come off a little strongly, and not all people reacted well to that. Back in her old school she was made fun of for it since it was a smaller school and was the "black sheep of the flock". Sighing to herself, she gave him a guilty expression in response. Placing her hand to her chin, she stroked it solemnly. She looked over her shoulder and down the hallway that led back to the office. Turning back to Zack, she smiled and said, "I guess I owe him an apology then. I didn't know he'd be so sensitive. He looks like an ice man to me..."

Zack couldn't help but smile at her comment. Patting her on the head, he said, "Well you'll just have to hold that apology because the first bell is about to ring in 3, 2, 1..."

_BRRRRRRRRRRING!!!!!!!_

The bell rung loud and clear and soon the hallways were swept up by large crowds of people. Zack took Aerith's hand in his own and grinned at her sweetly. "Your first class is musical theater too, right? The whole group has one class together and that's 1st period. Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen are all there. So we'll see Sephy and Cloud too! By the way, in case you didn't know I'm a junior like you. Sephy is a senior and Cloud is a sophomore. But enough chit chat. AWAY WE GO!"

He tugged her through the swarms of students; ducking and diving like a pro, all while still holding her hand. Aerith could feel her cheeks getting hot and tried desperately not to blush too hard. Yet, she couldn't help it. He was charming, funny, loyal, sweet, and undeniably handsome. The whole business made her heart flutter. It was when he had grabbed her hand in his own that she realized that she might just have a crush on the excitable puppy, Zack Fair.

Suddenly they stopped in front of a classroom with Aerith clumsily crashing head first into Zack's arm. Zack immediately turned to face her and with a worried expression casting over his face. "Sorry! I didn't mean to stop so suddenly! You okay, Aeri?"

Aerith rubbed her sore nose, and then her eyes met with his. To her, his were like endless, clear blue skies that sparkled with kindness. To him, hers were like two emerald oceans of green that he wanted to dive into the darkest and most wondrous depths of. Redness rose to both people's cheeks and when they noticed they were still holding hands, they shyly let go only to have the level of redness increase. Aerith coughed awkwardly. "So, um, the door is...wooden."

Zack turned his head and looked at the door. "Yeah... Wood is nice."

"Nice wooden wood."

"Yeah..."

"Let's go inside."

"Ok."

Aerith and Zack reached for the doorknob at the same time, only to have their hands touch again. He quickly snatched his hand away from hers and she instinctively burst through the door in embarrassment. The room was huge. Hundreds of chairs were filed neatly into rows and there was still plenty of space. It looked like a mini auditorium and even had its own stage. It was there that she came face to face with a very tall, very muscular, very stocky, and very tough looking man. His skin was dark and his hair in cornrows. He was missing half his left arm and had replaced it with one of the new metal ones they had been advertising on TV. He looked to be in his late 30's and had a bit of a frown on his face. His eyes were like sparkling pools of dark chocolate and his presence resonated with authority.

The man turned his head to see who walked through the doorway, only to smile and walk over quickly. Taking her two hands in his own colossal ones, he shook them whole heartedly, saying in a deep, gruff sounding voice, "Miss Gainsborough, yo' finally here! I've been so excited to see you again since yo' audition for us this summer!"

Aerith grinned up at her new musical theater teacher and shook his hand back just as enthusiastically. "The pleasure's all mine, Mr. Wallace! I can't wait for the musical this year. Any idea what it's going to be?"

Mr. Wallace's face lit up at her words. "Sure do! But before we get tah that let me introduce you tah the rest of the studio."

"Oh. Okay!"

Mr. Wallace then moved his head to look at Zack who had been spacing out and gazing very intensely at Aerith. His eyes narrowed and he quirked an eyebrow. "Fair…will you sit yo' ass down already? Miss Gainsborough ain't up fo' display, so stop starin'."

Aerith looked back at Zack who was now blushing madly and took his seat in the front of the class. There, she noticed next to him, was none other than Cloud and next to Cloud a young girl with long, dark brown hair. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a reddish brown. Her teeth were white and she had a gorgeous smile. Her body was quite curvaceous and she wore a tight white t-shirt and black skinny jeans with matching black converse. Overall, the girl was absolutely stunning, and when Aerith noticed she was clutching Cloud's hand she guessed that the girl must be that Tifa person Zack had mentioned.

Suddenly a loud sound rang throughout the room. It was the second bell to say "if-you-come-in-past-this-time-you-are-late". Mr. Wallace clapped his hands together three times and in an instance, all were silent. Aerith and him stood at the front of the class and Aerith gulped as she saw that many eyes were on her. "In case you newcomers haven't noticed, I'm yo' teacher," Mr. Wallace proclaimed loudly. "My name is Barret Wallace, but to all ya'll I am MISTER Wallace until ya'll graduate, get paid more than me, and have more experience in this field. Just know…ya'll will be waiting quite a while."

Various giggles were heard throughout the room. He continued. "This summer we selected an elite group of you freshmen tah join us in Musical Theater. To you I say congrats and welcome!"

The class applauded. Mr. Wallace put up a hand to silence them. "But…for the first time EVER, the rest of the faculty and I admitted a junior into this school. An extraordinary talent that I have not seen in years and one I would have never expected to come from, of all places, Icicle Inn!"

Aerith saw everyone begin to murmur and her face became a little heated. Mr. Wallace continued on. "Today I would like to introduce to you, Aerith Gainsborough; and if she wouldn't mind…I would like her to share her talent with the rest of the class and perform her audition piece for Musical Theater: 'The Wizard and I' from _Wicked_."

Aerith gave her new teacher a look of surprise, but didn't argue with him. Instead she smiled and nodded. "Sure, Mr. Wallace. I don't mind."

Mr. Wallace smiled broadly with glee and ran over to the piano in the room where he picked up the score to _Wicked_. While he excitedly flipped through the pages to the song 'The Wizard and I', Aerith climbed up on to the stage and got into character. When Mr. Wallace was set up at the piano, she looked over at him and gave him the signal to start. And…she sang.

"_Did that really just happen?  
Have I actually understood?  
This weird quirk I've tried  
To suppress or hide  
Is a talent that could  
Help me meet the Wizard  
If I make good  
So I'll make good:"_

Aerith's face lit up as the tempo began to speed up.

_"When I meet the Wizard  
Once I prove my worth  
And then I meet the Wizard  
What I've waited for since: since birth!  
And with all his Wizard wisdom  
By my looks, he won't be blinded  
Do you think the Wizard is dumb?  
Or, like Munchkins, so small-minded?  
No! He'll say to me,  
"I see who you truly are -  
A girl on whom I can rely!"  
And that's how we'll begin  
The Wizard and I:"_

She ran to the other side of the stage and twirled around. Her expression showing how in character she was.

_"Once I'm with the Wizard  
My whole life will change  
''cause once you're with the Wizard  
No one thinks you're strange!  
No father is not proud of you,  
No sister acts ashamed  
And all of Oz has to love you  
When by the Wizard you're acclaimed  
And this gift - or this curse -  
I have inside  
Maybe at last, I'll know why  
When we are hand and hand -  
The Wizard and I!_

_And one day, he'll say to me, "Elphaba,  
A girl who is so superior  
Shouldn't a girl who's so good inside  
Have a matching exterior?  
And since folks here to an absurd degree  
Seem fixated on your verdigris  
Would it be all right by you  
If I de-greenify you?"_

_And though of course  
That's not important to me  
"All right, why not?" I'll reply  
Oh, what a pair we'll be  
The Wizard and I:  
Yes, what a pair we'll be  
The Wizard and:"_

She stopped dancing across the stage landing dead center. Slowly she walked to the front of the stage.

_"Unlimited  
My future is unlimited  
And I've just had a vision  
Almost like a prophecy  
I know - it sounds truly crazy  
And true, the vision's hazy  
But I swear, someday there'll be  
A celebration throughout Oz  
That's all to do with me!"_

The tempo took off again and Aerith finally unleashed her belting skills.

_"And I'll stand there with the Wizard  
Feeling things I've never felt  
And though I'd never show it  
I'll be so happy, I could melt!  
And so it will be  
For the rest of my life  
And I'll want nothing else  
Till I die  
Held in such high esteem  
When people see me, they will scream  
For half of Oz's fav'rite team:  
The Wizard  
And I!"_

Aerith had her arms raised above her head and a smile beaming on her face. And the classroom erupted with applause. People stood up and cheered for her and Aerith couldn't stop grinning. With that, she bowed deeply and then stood up straight. She looked over at Zack who was standing up and applauding with a very shocked expression on his face. She blushed inwardly and then looked over at Cloud who was still sitting with his girl friend. A small smile was on his face and he was applauding as well and giving her look of approval. Aerith's inward blush suddenly became outward and she played with her hands shyly. Their eyes met and Aerith felt time slow. Her heart pounded and she felt her stomach tighten. "_He has a girlfriend._"

Aerith shook her head and broke eye contact with him and instead looked over at Tifa. She was clapping for Aerith, but something seemed off. It was like there was a sense of bitterness in her presentation. Aerith decided to ignore it though. Now was not the time to think negatively.

Jumping down from the stage, Aerith was greeted by Mr. Wallace once again. He was facing the class and now ushered them to sit down and be quiet. He looked very proud and seemed to be bursting with things to say. And he said them. Only…what he announced next was something Aerith was not expecting in the least. "I will guess from ya'll's applaudin' ya'll see what I see in Miss Gainsborough. Well, it's 'cause of her that I can announce what the musical for this year will be."

The room was silent. Not a sound could be heard except for Mr. Wallace's booming voice that penetrated everything. "This year's musical will be _Wicked_."

The class was about to start jabbering excitedly, but Mr. Wallace quieted them. "But that is not the news that will be surprisin' you. I have two more things tah tell ya'll. The first bein' that the boys will be kissin' Miss Gainsborough's ass fer awhile 'cause she'll be helpin' me select the guy who'll be playin' the only leadin' male role of Fiyero."

The whole class burst into conversation and Aerith began to feel sick. She was doing _what_?! Did her ears deceive her?! She looked over at her teacher, whose face had reddened in anger due to the fact that class would not be silenced. Glaring, he then shouted, "WILL YA'LL BE QUIET?! I SAID I HAD TWO THINGS TAH SAY SO SHUT THE &*#$ UP!"

Instantly the room was quiet again. Mr. Wallace cleared his throat and moved along. "The second thing I've got tah tell you is about the leading role, Elphaba."

Mr. Wallace paused and everyone had all eyes on him and Aerith. He looked at her and she looked at him. The pit she felt in her stomach seemed to grow with every passing second. Mr. Wallace walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. Aerith stood there confused. "The reason why I asked Miss Gainsborough tah sing her audition piece today was not only tah show you her talent, but also tah show ya'll somethin'. That somethin' is the reason I am giving the leading role of Elphaba to Miss Gainsborough without an audition."

Aerith's face whitened and her eyes got wide with shock. "WHAT?!" "WHAT?!"

Two simultaneous "what's" rang throughout the room. One from Aerith and the other, from what Aerith saw, Tifa! Tifa had stood up; a look of anger and surprise covering her face. Infuriated, she stormed over to Mr. Wallace and exclaimed, "You can't be serious, Mr. Wallace! She's good, but not good enough to be just receiving roles from what you heard in her audition to the school!"

Mr. Wallace looked down at Tifa sternly with unflinching resolve. "I'm very serious, Miss Lockhart. I am giving her the role. She is perfect for it. The other leads are still available to audition for."

"But this is the LEADING ROLE!"

"MISS LOCKHART, DO NOT DISRESPECT ME IN MY CLASSROOM! TAKE YO' SEAT!"

"BUT-!"

"NO 'BUTS'! SIT!"

Tifa clenched her fists tightly and bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything else. Instead she turned her head to face Aerith with hatred burning in those pretty eyes. Aerith was still in shock and didn't know how to react. Tifa's eyes narrowed and she scowled at her. She then silently mouthed 'slut' to Aerith, and Aerith felt dizzy. The room was spinning, her mind was reeling, and most of all she felt like she was going to puke. And she did. All over Tifa's shoes. Tifa shrieked in horror and Aerith fainted into Mr. Wallace's arms.


End file.
